Colorado is one step closer to legalizing private social-use cannabis clubs as SB17-184 passed the Senate Business, Labor, & Technology Committee 5-2 on Wednesday. The measure would allow on-site cannabis consumption at private clubs in permitting municipalities but does not allow them to serve food or alcohol.
According to an Associated Press report, the proposal would allow some businesses, such as art galleries, coffee shops, yoga studios or other public spaces, to apply for on-site consumption; however cannabis products would not be able to be sold at the locations.
The measure dictates that all club members and employees are 21 or older, and that club owners are two-year residents of the state. It prohibits “open and public” cannabis use.
“We’re legal and we need a place for people to go,” Ashley Weber of Colorado NORML said in the Associated Press report. “We need social clubs.”
The measure will next be sent to the Republican-led Senate for a vote; however last fall Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper indicated opposition to Denver’s plan to allow cannabis clubs – which was approved by voters in November – and has said that a statewide law could invite federal intervention in the state.
Officials in Denver have already held several meetings to devise the rules under which the voter-approved initiative will operate in the city.